One of my warmest memories of going to UC Berkeley, was my wonderful times at Peet's Coffee. There was something about Peet's that screamed "perfect". I don't know if it was that dark roasted coffee had a taste I couldn't find anywhere else in the world. Maybe it was the ambiance of standing in line, the mulling around outside on the concrete on Walnut &Vine discussing the most grave philosophical issues of the day, knowing that what was determined over that cup of French Roast would shape the world into a better place. It might be the early school mornings when the smell of Peet's would ramble through the air as Vivaldi's Four Seasons's played in the background. We would all rush around gathering our daily dose of Peet's coffee heavily dosed with sugar and cream.
I never lost my love of Peet's, even
though I knew I was witnessing an industry bitten by the same franchise
sprawling so familiar to our modern, fast-food age. First it was Starbucks,
then coffee itself was stamped with a veneer of "social cool" that
had nothing to do with the dark roasted taste (unless you only read
the labels). It reminded me or the suburban sprawl occurring, never
ceasing, always leaping into meadows, cherry orchards and open fields.
Yes, it happened. Peet's sold out ... BIG.
It was sold for $1 billion to the German conglomerate Joh. A. Benckiser with a
happy group of newly minted millionaire unanimously approving the deal.
Am I sad? Well, I think I'm now resigned.
If Peet's is gone, it seems time has moved on, memories are in fact merely
memories, albeit good ones, and a new era creeps into humanities fold ...
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... ring! ring!
... Oh! Excuse me. I have
to answer a text message on my iPhone ...
… AAR8 / ADAD / BBL / B4N / MTFBWU … W/E
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